Page 32 of Eden's Comfort Kitchen
‘I think people will come,’ Livia said.
Julia poured some gravy over her food. ‘So you’re here from London?’
Eden nodded. ‘Yes.’
‘Is that home for you?’
‘Just outside. Essex, actually, but, you know, it was only a Tube ride away, so I spent a lot of time there growing up.’
‘Essex? Did you like it there?’
‘I suppose so. You take where you live for granted, don’t you? I’m not sure I ever thought about it that much. I was used to it; it was home.’
‘So you don’t live there anymore? Where will you go back to when you give up Four Winds?’
‘I was in London proper for a while. I don’t know…I gave up my flat, so I don’t actually have a place to go back to.’
‘But you could go to your father’s house if you needed to? I know Livia would always have a home here if she?—’
‘Mum…’ Livia interrupted with an uneasy look Eden’s way. ‘I’m sure Eden doesn’t want to think about all that. We were going to talk about the community café, weren’t we?’
‘I was only making conversation. Eden doesn’t mind me asking, I’m sure.’
Livia turned to Eden, who had the feeling her friend was trying to change the subject. If so, it was a bit clumsy, but Eden appreciated the effort. ‘Don’t let us forget to give you your sewing before you go tonight. Mum’s done a lovely job, and your fabric is so pretty.’
‘Nice to work with too,’ Julia said. ‘You chose a good quality one.’
‘I only went with the lady’s recommendation.’ Eden dug her fork into a mound of mashed potato. ‘I don’t know the first thing about fabric or sewing.’
‘My mum taught me to sew,’ Julia said. ‘One of the first things she taught me, actually, and it’s been so useful over the years, I wouldn’t be able to thank her enough.’
‘Is she…?’ Eden hesitated.
‘Oh, she’s still with us,’ Julia replied, anticipating the question. ‘But she’s not well, and we had no choice but to get her professional care. Alzheimer’s – barely remembers me, and no recollection of Livia or the twins.’
‘That must be devastating. I’m so sorry.’
‘It’s life, isn’t it?’ Julia said with a stoicism that convinced Eden that if she wasn’t entertaining a relative stranger, she’d be sobbing now.
The more Eden learned about Livia’s family, the more she marvelled at how they managed to stay so positive when they’d endured such terrible loss and sadness. Not only had they lost Livia’s dad and sister, but there was Julia’s mum suffering this horrible illness – the worst, Eden had often heard people say, where the loved one was gone long before they died. She’d never encountered it, and she hoped she never would. Though Eden had her own pain, the more she heard about Livia and her family, the more perspective she got. What she’d gone through was bad, but there were others going through worse, others who were entirely good and entirely blameless and who didn’t deserve it at all.
‘Still,’ Eden said, ‘doesn’t seem fair when it happens to such lovely people.’
‘We’re not all that lovely,’ Livia said with a smile that was as stoic as Julia’s. ‘You should hear us argue on a good day, and you’d realise we can be just as bad as anyone else.’
‘Levi threw my doll in the apple tree,’ Nancy said as she concentrated on cutting a sausage.
‘When was this?’ Eden asked.
‘Last week,’ Julia said. ‘Goodness only knows what they were fighting about – neither of them can remember. And he must have a heck of a throwing arm on him. I said he ought to take up cricket, could be a fast bowler for England. There’d be money in that, I bet.’
‘We’re definitely counting on one of them making our family rich in the future,’ Livia said, her smile growing into something more certain.
‘I bet they’ll both do amazing things in the future,’ Eden said. ‘With some people, you can just tell, can’t you?’
Julia and Livia both looked so proud that Eden wondered which one would burst into tears first. But it was lovely to see. Had her parents ever looked like that about her? They’d doted on her, spoiled her and loved her, but had she ever made them proud? There was a feeling of deep shame at the answer, a truth she couldn’t deny to herself. No, she didn’t think she had.
‘Right…’ Julia gave Eden her full attention. ‘Tell me about your community café idea.’
